Chapter 2: The Eerie Dream

A passerby said, “XXX, come on, strike a pose so I can take a picture.”

Yuan Qian’er’s face instantly turned pale; she felt unwell. Clutching Qing Cheng’s hand tightly, she said, “Qing Cheng, look! This is it—the black hole I dream about every night. It’s exactly the same! Look! I kept feeling this painting was familiar just now, and when he finished, I remembered.”

Qing Cheng glanced down and shivered despite the midsummer heat. “Qian’er, I never thought your dreams were scary when you told me about them, but looking at this painting suddenly gives me a creepy feeling!”

Yuan Qian’er nodded in agreement. She looked up to study the painter—a man with white hair and beard, exuding an ethereal, almost immortal aura, reminiscent of the Supreme Elder Lord from Journey to the West. Yet, his painting style didn’t quite match his appearance.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Yuan Qian’er felt the painter was staring directly at her.

“Qing Cheng, maybe I’m overthinking it. It’s just a dream. Let’s go,” she said, frightened by the gaze. She shook her head, pulled Qing Cheng around, and started to leave. Just as she stepped forward, someone behind them spoke.

“Hey, look! The black hole is glowing. Look, it’s amazing!”

Curious Qing Cheng wanted to join the crowd to see, but Yuan Qian’er pulled her back. “Qing Cheng, where there are crowds, there’s often trouble. Let’s leave quickly.”

More and more people were drawn to the mesmerizing painting, leaving the once bustling street almost deserted except for Qian’er and Qing Cheng. Qing Cheng asked, “Qian’er, aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to see it?”

Though curious herself, Yuan Qian’er remembered the saying, “Curiosity killed the cat.” “Qing Cheng, there’s nothing much to see. Instead of squeezing with the crowd, we can watch the news or check Weibo tomorrow. Such a sensational event will surely be all over the internet.”

Indeed, in today’s world, any strange or extraordinary occurrence is rapidly spread by countless netizens, so whether they saw it or not made little difference.

As they walked, they reached the main square of City B. The square was usually crowded, but since everyone had been drawn to the glowing painting, it now seemed unusually quiet. Reaching the center of the square, Qing Cheng exclaimed, “Qian’er, look! There seems to be another 3D painting, exactly like the one before! Let’s check it out.”

Excited, Qing Cheng pulled Yuan Qian’er over. Indeed, there was another painting, even more realistic. If they hadn’t been standing on it, one might have thought it was real! But where had these paintings come from?

Yuan Qian’er nudged Qing Cheng. “Alright, we’ve seen enough. Let’s go. Suddenly, I feel so sleepy. Let’s go home.”

“Okay, home it is!” Qing Cheng said, pulling Yuan Qian’er to leave, when suddenly Yuan Qian’er cried out, “Ah, Qing Cheng, my foot won’t move!”

“Yuan Qian’er, you…” Qing Cheng’s eyes widened in shock, unable to speak. The black hole beneath Yuan Qian’er suddenly turned like a swamp, swallowing her. Yuan Qian’er, seeing the scene unfold, was stunned—it was just like in her dreams. Gradually, she unconsciously released Qing Cheng’s hand.

When Qing Cheng realized Yuan Qian’er had let go and was about to disappear, she tried to grab her but it was too late. Without hesitation, she jumped after her. The last thing Yuan Qian’er saw was Qing Cheng leaping into the black hole without a trace of hesitation. At that moment, she thought, “That idiot, I’ll scold her when I wake up. I’m so tired now; my eyelids feel like they won’t stay open.”